Self-serving-store equipment



April 19 1927. I 1,625,490

R. T. MORRIS SELF SERVING STORE EQUIPMENT Filed J1me 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g u g E X N t 3 58 i H "D N w 5 N I Q n w "P w k I I g 3* a N INVENTOR Roger ILMorrz's.

ATTO EY 1927. April R. T. MORRIS SELF SERVING STORE EQUIPMENT ile June 29, 1925 2 Sheets-$11661, 3

INVENTOR I Roger T.Morr1s.

BY I 9% Kg Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

ROGER T; MGRRIS, OFSEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

$ELF-SERVING-STORE EQUIPMENT.

Application filed June 29, 1925.

My invention relates to merchandising equipment adapted for installation in stores to facilitate inspection and ordering of the g'ioods by customers, and the delivery thereof, and also to facilitate the reduction of expenses for clerks and attendants to a minimum.

Theobject of my invention is to reduce the cost of merchandising, while at the same time facilitating personal inspection of samples of the article sold, and the ordering and delivery of the samples to a central delivery station.

My invention consists of a building divided into a sample or sales room and a stock or store room, in the first of which samples of the articles which are for sale are exhiliiited so as to be accessible to customers for their personal inspection, and the latter having means for storing the artielse in quantity so that they are accessible, together with means for signaling from the sample room to the stock room what articles are desired, and other means for delivering said articles from the stock room to a delivery station in the sample room.

The principles of my invention will be set forth in the accoinliianying description, and the features upon which I desire to obtain a patent will be defined in the accompanyin g claim.

The accompanying drawings show a typical arrangement for the sample and store rooms.

Figure 1 shows, in plan, the general arrangement of the sample room, with one end of the store or stock room.

Figure 2 shows a longitudinal elevation of one side of the sample room and delivery mechanism.

Figure 3 is a face View or elevation showing in a diagrammatic way, an annunciator board such as would be employed in the stock room for indicating the particular articlc desired.

In the equipment employed in carrying out my method of merchandising, a sample room, as indicated at 1, is employed, which sample room is provided with shelves 3 or any other suitable means for showing and displaying the articles to be sold. preferably in such manner that they may be personally examined by customers. The matter of personal examination by customers would, howprovided a signaling devlce.

Serial No. 40,234.

ever, be optional and in some cases might not be desirable.

Back of or connected in some suitable way with the sample room, is a stock or store room 2. Connecting the stock room with the sample room is a conveyor by which articles after being takenfrom the stock shelves, are conveyed to a central delivery station located in the sample room. Such delivery station is indicated at 6. This is provided with a wrapping surface as 60 and a support for a receiving container, as a basket 61, and a stool or chair, as 62, for the attendant. The conveyor illustrated in the drawings consists of an endless belt 7, which is preferably located overhead, the space heneath the belt being utilizable as a site for display shelves.

In connection with each sample article as displayed upon the shelves in the sample room, a card 4 or other equivalentmeans is provided, which card is designed for furnishing inforn'iation to the prospective purchaser. This card would have information such as price, quality, size, and possibly a number which would be indicative of that particular article. Any other information which might seem desirable would be ap plied to such cards. One of these cards would be provided in such position as to be identified as belonging to each article.

'In connection with each article is also Such signaling device may well consist of a switch, push button, or other current makc-and-break device, as indicated at 5, and an electric circuit leading to an annunciator or other equivalent signaling means 8, located in the stock room. Such a signaling system would be provided for each and every article on display. The annunciator board, a portion of which is indicated in a diagrammatic manner in Figure 3,. would be located in the stock room, preferably above the shelves or in whatever place would make it most convenient for the store room attendant to see it.

A customer, entering the sample room, will look up the particular article which he wishes to buy. After a decision has been made as to the purchase of an article, the button or switch which represents that par ticular article is operated, to close the signaling circuit for said article. This operates the particular annunciator member of the other signaling device in the stock room, the attendant then gets the desired article and places it upon the conveyor 7 and it is then delivered into the receiving basket 61, from which it is taken by the operator, wrapped, and delivered to the purchaser. This receiving station would be furnished with *ash register or any other mechanism which would facilitate the handling of the business or be desired.

By the use of the above mechanism it should be possible for a considerable business to be transacted by two employees, one to look after the sample room wrap the goods and collect for the same, and the other to get out the goods and deliver them to the conveyor for the attendant in the sample room. While this method might not be well adapted for selling certain lines of goods, it would be excellently adapted for the sale of other lines.

What I claim as my invention is:

A retail merchandising equipment comprising adjacent sample displaying and goods storage rooms a combined delivering and payment station located in the sample room, an automatic goods conveyor connecting the storage room with the delivery station in the sample room, and separate signaling means associated with each sample whereby the purchaser may himself indicate to the sample room the particular articles desired.

Signed at Seattle, King County, ashington this 22nd day of J une, 1925.

ROGER T. MORRIS. 

